Thursday, August 26, 2010

Taste of Beverly Hills 2010 Ticket Giveaway

[UPDATE 8/31/2010: Thank you to all the participants! We had some great entries (and a handful of no so great ones and disqualifications), so choosing the winners was actually a fairly difficult process. I found myself going back and forth between two, or even three submissions before picking a winner, but in the end, decisions had to be made: "9.02.10 Beverly Hills Celebration Event" goes to jamie. "The Art of Mixing" goes to Rosewood. "Secrets from the Kitchen and Cellar" goes to Jeff Standard. "Date Night" goes to Charlie Fu. "The Art of Brunch" goes to Alexandra. "BBQ in the Hills" goes to C. Congrats to all the winners! We'll be in touch shortly.]

From September 2-5, Food & Wine magazine will be hosting the first annual Taste of Beverly Hills food festival at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This four-day epicurean extravaganza will bring together America’s finest chefs, culinary personalities, and winemakers from SoCal and beyond. The Taste will showcase a number of leading chefs, restaurants, and restaurateurs, including Top Chef champion Michael Voltaggio, Walter Manzke, Ludo Lefebvre, and the "two dudes"--Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook. Not a bad lineup, if you ask me!

The City of Beverly Hills will be celebrating its famed zip code, 90210 on September 2, 2010, with an event headlined by international pop sensation and Grammy nominee Natasha Bedingfield, along with CNN Talk Show host Larry King as master of ceremonies. The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce introduces Mayor Jimmy Delshad to kick off the evening’s festivities. Guests will be provided with unlimited food and drink from renowned Beverly Hills restaurants and chefs. Celebrated chef Wolfgang Puck of Spago Beverly Hills and Cut Beverly Hills will make a special appearance.

Where the best in culinary meets the best in cocktails! As guests sample cuisine from the city’s top restaurants, the evening will also showcase some of the city’s top mixologists and DJs, “mixing” talents.

Some of the most unique and perfectly blended cocktails designed by some of LA’s top mixologists

Saturday, September 4thSecrets from the Kitchen and Cellar11:00am – 3:00pm

The day will be filled with session after session from chefs, master sommeliers, and other experts in their fields, showcasing their tricks of the trade of all things food and wine. Additionally, the day will feature LG’s Taste of Something Better cooking competition, hosted by chef Tim Love.

LG Cooking Competition: chefs battle to represent North America in the 2010 LG World Cooking Championship to be held in Korea

Enjoy a beautiful evening of food, wine and entertainment with a significant other or friends, while partaking in some of the city’s top restaurants and their signature entrees. Spend one-on-one time with industry experts and delve into a beautiful variety of wines, showcasing vintners top wines, but also pouring some everyday selections.

No one does brunch like LA. Avoid the hour-and-a-half waits and come partake in an unparalleled brunch experience. LA’s finest brunch hot spots will be serving up each of their signature dishes along side free-flowing Bloody Marys, Bellinis and Mimosas.

I have one pair of tickets (valued at $270 to $320) for each event to give away--that's right, a dozen tickets total!

Here's what you need to do to win, it's easy: Just pick one of the six events and leave a comment telling us why you're interested in that particular one (e.g. I'm choosing "The Art of Mixing" because I want to have Michael Voltaggio's baby). Be sure to include your name and email address; after all, I do need some way to contact the winners. The contest ends 9:02:10 PM PDT on Monday, August 30th. Good luck!

95 Comments:

i would like to sell my soul to you for a pair of tickets to date night. i want to go to this one because it seems to be the right cure for the endless bad blind dates i've had in the past. thank god those are over.

p.s. since your link is not clickable...i can't see who the other chefs are, but you already got me at ludo. booyah.

Please, KevinEats, give me date night. I would love to be in punching distance of Ludo so that I can take out my frustration at LudoBites on his person. I logged on the very minute reservations opened for 5.0 and got denied by the buggy system. I then missed the change in reservation policy thinking I would worry about getting a table after I took the California bar. It was a stressful time as it was, I tell you! I have been looking for openings every day since the end of July to no avail.

Also, I am trying to convert my date. I am as adventurous an eater as I have ever met, but he enjoys nothing more than cheeseburgers and steak. Date night would be a perfect opportunity for him to try new things.

Also, I linked to your blog post in my Yelp review of Testing Kitchen. Kevin? Are you still there? Do I need to beg?

I would love to go to "The Art of Mixing" event because I'm a big fan of Jason Bentley. What more could a girl ask for? A handsome & talented man pulling at your heart strings while eating wonderful food!

The Art of Mixing: My on going "restaurant wish list" includes Melisse, Ortolan, Tar Pit/Campanile and Umami. To get all in one night would be culinary coup! Then with custom cocktails and it's an impossible night to miss. Please oh please will you make my growling stomach the happiest in the land? (=•.•=)

The girlfriend and I would be perfect for date night. By 7pm that night we would have spent the preceding 12 hours moving into our new place and could use the food and alcohol for rest. Not to mention the amount of money we're spending for the place we need something free tossed our way hehe.

This is really hard but Date Night wins for me - just because we could truly make it a 'date night' for us. AND - it has been FREAKIN difficult to try to get a res for LudoBites and my truck tracking skills are amature at best for his chicken truck. However, having Michael Voltaggio's baby was high on the list once, it would not be kind to my new hubby (albeit, he and my friends would tell me to take one for the team!). So I will settle for visiting Michael once he's found a new home and gift ourselves (courtesy of you) with a date night.

Oh I forgot to mention why I would looove the celebration tix: I'm a business grad student foodie who's broke. An ogre really. I'm also interested in starting my own restaurant and would love to talk to all these chefs! I'm particularly excited about trying out Xi'an and Crustacean.

This is fantastic! Would love tix to the Saturday night event "Date Night" because it's my anniversary and I'd love to treat my hubby to something special. This fits the bill, don't you think? Sounds amazing! AND Ludo will be there..too much good food!

Are you kidding?!?!?!? SUnday Brunch with Scott Conant, Ray Garcia, Richard Ruskell, Michel Nischan?!?!?!?!? Pies.....samples, cocktails..... Labor Day weekend......My inlaws are visiting from out of town and it would be so cool to show them my neighbourhood AND take them to this all on the same day/time!!! Major brownie points! Thank you so much...I hope!Thank you!Tony - info@mediamojos.com

Dear Kevin,I've been reading (and LOVING) your blog for years. Thanks to your love of food, I've been able to expose my friends and family to some amazing new places.I would LOVE LOVE LOVE tickets to the "Date Night" event. The guest chefs that night perfectly compliments my husband and me. I'm the haute cuisine foodie, and I've been dying to try Chef Ludo's food, but reservations for LudoBites always book up so fast. My husband, on the other hand, is a down-home Southern with simpler tastes and would LOVE Chef Tim Love's cuisine because it would remind him of the food his grandmother used to make. My husband is just starting (after 10 years of me trying) to get into wines, and this would be a perfect evening for him to try new things.We're busy parents of three young (7, 6, and 5) boys, who don't get very many opportunities to get away to enjoy a nice evening out together...our last evening out was to Bouchon in November (a couple of nights after you went...by the way, we tried your recs and loved them, too!) and haven't been able to get away since.So please please PLEASE choose us.

Wow...this is my favorite kind of contest!!! I would love the tickets to the "The Art of Brunch" -- because it looks like an innovative event in a usually-not-very-adventurous category, AND because at 9 mos pregnant, I can eat a lot of delicious food, but cannot do the alcohol tastings any justice! (No, it's not Michael Voltaggio's baby; in case you were wondering...) ElissaTwitter... @ElissainLA

Kevin!!!! Please pick me for the "Art of Mixing"!!! Since I'm on a hiatus on going out to dinners and events until AFTER October (save up for Japan), this event would be fabulous for me and my wallet! And, I need to work on my drinking and eating skills so I can hang with you at our next dinner. =P Honestly, any session would do for me, I'm easy to please. :)

would love tickets to the beverly hills celebration event on thurs because frankly, it gives me the best chance of actually winning. and i want to have natasha beddingfield's baby. thanks for the entry!

I would love to go to date night. I read your blog weekly and have enjoyed a plethora of la and oc area eateries with my girlfriend based on your recommendations. My girlfriend's birthday is August 31st and my birthday is September 6th. We make a point of going out to an amazing dinner every year to celebrate both of our birthdays. Last year we celebrated at Bazaar and Marche Moderne. Going to Taste of Beverly Hills would make this the best birthday year yet! Thanks a lot for the years of great reviews. I look forward to many more.

I would like to win tickets to the Art of Brunch because it's hard to find a great non-buffet brunch in L.A. and I usually am not out of bed, dressed and out there ready to look on weekend mornings because I'm catching up on sleep missed all week. And because when I went to the Florida Keys I had a bloody mary, conch fritter and shrimp with grits brunch followed by fried cheesecake. Now that's creative!

I remember the day about 10 years ago, 5-17-00. The series finale of Beverly Hills, 90210. A show that had grown with me and guided me for 10 years and left me well-prepared for my upcoming high school graduation as well as my next stop as a college freshman. Since that day I dreamed of how I would celebrate 10 years later when the date was 9-02-10. I can think of no better way celebrate the show that made the zip code famous then by attending The Taste of Beverly Hills Celebration Event on this glorious Thursday of 9-02-10. I first looked to buy tickets for the event but at $160 a pop it was out of the price range for am unemployed freshly minted MBA and his wife. Then this gift of tweet from the newest blog that has been added to my daily reading fell into my lap. Hopefully we can celebrate 9-02-10 together. If not this time in 2010 then maybe the next time around in 3010.

I want to win tickets to "Date Night," because it's been five months since my last date and I can't bear the thought of going on Match.com again to have another. Kevin, please spare me the pain of going out with someone who doesn't know what gnocchi or pupasas are and makes me drive him home from dinner because he doesn't own a car and got to the restaurant via bus. I need to erase the memory of this bad date with a good one. A date with the one thing that will never let me down or make me put in $10 on a $26 bill and then take the leftovers. A date with food.

I'd like to attend DATE NIGHT-- because I am getting married in one month from now and I'd like to suprise my fiance...and becuase three of my favorite restaurants are on the list...Mozza, Ago, and Ford's Filling Station. thank you

Kevin, thank you so much for all of your great reviews. I would love to win tickets to date night. I have visited so many wonderful restaurants across LA and OC based on your reviews. This would be another wonderful experience made possible by KevinEats. I would be especially grateful to recieve these tickets to enjoy with my boyfriend and NO chefs or restauranteurs will be harmed if I am chosen. : ) Thanks!! Cassie

I would love to go to BBQ in the Hills! Being a BBQ fan I've always dreamed of going out to one of those BBQ competitions out in the midwest. But! this seems even better! My bf would appreciate this as well =) thanksShihfan flordog@hotmail.com

Sure, others long to see the already established eye candy of the kitchen.. Ludo, Michael V... I want another taste of a future hot star chef, The Blvd's Perfecto Rocher. I tasted an amuse bouche of his at the recent Plate by Plate event... small bits of fresh Kampachi with a fresh green apple foam and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.I'd love to try his food again on September 2nd.

Hey Kevin,I would love tickets to the Art of mixing event, because it would be the perfect event to bring this girl I have a crush on to. Not only could we eat food from Mozza,C&S,and Ortolan, I know Jason Bentley always throws down an enjoyable set...Thanksdru612@hotmail.com

I love a pair of tickets to the Celebration of Beverly Hills night! I would desperately love to spend an unforgettable night enjoying food I may never be able to afford again with one of my close friends, a gal who is just now exploring the culinary gifts Los Angeles has to offer.

I'm also going camping that weekend, and I'd be inspired to put together the best damn trail food my friends have ever SEEN.

"the art of mixing" Please!- Because I was going to take my girlfriend to the dining room for her birthday but he left before I got a chance to take her earlier this month. She is a die hard Voltaggio Brothers fan and seriously watches TOP CHEF religiously. She's been sad ever since she found out that she missed Michael at the Dining room. I can't wait until Michael opens his restaurant in LA but this would make her really happy.

To top off making her really happy, I am a local DJ and would love to see Jason Bentley from KCRW

I would love to win tickets to the Beverly Hills Celebration Event for Thursday. I am celebrating a new move to Los Angeles and cannot think of a better way to get exposed to LA's finest food, being an amateur foodie who recently left Manhattan's finest cuisine.

Kevin - I would love two tickets to Date Night because i absolutely love cooking, and learning from industry experts would be a dream. I am also new to LA and the social scene and mixing and mingling at Date Night would be a fantastic to get into the social scene and meet other foodies and amazing LA residents to experience life with. And my b-day is coming up this weekend so it'd be a FANTASTIC b-day gift too ;)

I'd like the tickets to BBQ in the Hills. My other half has been working in Vienna eating nothing but schnitzels and goulash; what better way to say Welcome Home Baby than to treat him to an amazing BBQ meal?csuero1@gmail.com

Hi Kevin!My husband and I would love to attend the Art of Brunch! Our in laws are watching our 3 year old and 18 month old and it would be a perfect way to spend our sunday! We love food and can't think of a better occasion to indulge and enjoy! Please pick us!dianevanek@yahoo.com

Long time reader, but first time posting... I would like to be selected for the Opening Celebration event on September 2nd. I lived in Boston for past 10 years and I’ve always told myself that I'd eat at Spago if I had a chance to visit LA. Four weeks ago, I was laid off from my work in Boston and now that I’m living in LA (with my parents to save costs until I find a job), I cannot afford to eat at Spago. I’m hoping I’d be able to sample some of Wolfgang Puck’s dishes at this event. And, I am certain that this festival will not run out of food/drinks on the first night (I attended a beer festival in NYC few months ago and the organizers ran out of beers towards the end. I’m going to be early this time, damn it!).

I would love to win tix to the Celebration Event on Thursday. I want to hear Natasha Bedingfield, listen to Larry King, and watch the Mayor of Beverly Hills, Jimmy Delshad, give some "keys to the city" to some special people. Of course, getting to taste all the excellent food from top restaurants and chefs is a major highlight of the night.

I chose the Celebration Event because I think there's something really special about being at the kick-off night for the whole event. Thank you for the awesome opportunity to try to win the tickets.

The Art of Brunch - because with all the Egg recalls in the news, "the brunch" needs our support more than ever. Myself and guest will stand behind the egg...and panckaes...and bacon...and waffles...and whatever else needs love.

1. i am the coolest muthafucka to ever walk planet earpph. i would be doing a disservice to los angeles by not showing up.2. i am the most drinkingest son of a bitch to exist in the milkey way. bloody marys are my fuel and i am inclined to believe they will served. 3. im a struggling student who walks up hill both ways to class and i'm saving up for a vespa/prius/bike/blog. 4. please.

My hairdresser, Cheryl Sparks, really, really deserves tickets to the Sunday Taste of Brunch and Beverly Hills BBQ! She won't drink and drive because she will get a hotel room in Beverly Hills. Contact her at cherylsparks@live.com. Thank you and you won't be sorry for choosing her!!!

Beverly hills BBQ and a taste of brunch PLEASE!!!! I heard you on the radio. That's how I found out about the 1st " Taste of Beverly Hills" I found a great hote but tickets and a hotel is way over my budget. We will be coming from Carlsbad. We don't have any plans for labor day weekend. PLEASE pick ME. Cheryl, 858-232-2202

Beverly Hills BBQ PLEASE!!! I am a hairdresser with a big mouth! I will tell everyone about you and the " Taste of Beverly Hills" if you hive me tickets. We will be getting a hotel too, so I'll be giving back to Beverly Hills PLEASE call me 858-232-2202

I moved here from Arizona last year with my girlfriend of six years. We moved out to California to have a better more open life (we are a lesbian couple)

We moved with the hopes that I would start culinary school and live my dream pursuing a career in the wonderful culinary world.

Since our move life has thrown us some pretty intense curve balls, and I have not been able to afford to go to school. I work 50 hrs a week and take every catering job on weekends I can get.

I basically live on your blog and yelp as a window to all the great food there is to experience in LA since I cannot afford to go out and experience them myself as of yet.

My 6 yr anniversary came and went this month, and we were totally unable to celebrate by typical landmark anniversary standards. To top it all off we were going to get our marriage licence the day gay marriage was to be legal. Which ended up getting postponed.

If you picked me to give the tickets to I could use this as an anniversary gift to my wonderful girlfriend whom I have lived with for over 6 six yrs. I feel partly responsible for moving us out here to the center of everything only to work every day of the week. This is an event I would do anything to get into. I have been reading about every single restaurant and chef attending for the last month and obsessing over it.

This was not meant to be a guilt trip, but more of a plea. I need any break I can get!!!

I'd love to see Secrets from the Kitchen, Kevin, mostly because I love figuring out secrets but also that Ted Allen is pretty much awesome-ness. But i'm wondering how the heck are you doing this? you're giving out like $3000! crazzyyy.

I would love to get tix to the Celebration Event on 09.02.10!! I think the An family is amazing. They exemplify a true rags-to-riches story, turning the devastation of their past into a celebration of the future. It would be so awesome to meet them. I can't afford to eat at their restaurants (and I'm not sure that will change anytime soon), so these tickets are my one shot to actually meet the people behind the story.

I would love to go to:Date Night on Saturday, September 4th as it would be the perfect getaway for a long holiday weekend with my "date". We are both big foodie fans and this event is said not to be missed. Truth be told, I also want to have Michael Voltaggio's baby! Do it! Pick me!Amy Ciminoamycimino@hotmail.com

I'd like to go to the Art of the Brunch for the sake of my couch potato and food lover boyfriend, whom I dragged up Mt. Whitney yesterday. Not only is it the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states and a grueling 22 mile, 18 hour climb, but he also subsisted on tasteless energy bars, unnaturally fluorescent gel shots, and gallons of chemically enhanced water in the name of true love. He deserves his favorite meal of the day as a reward for being the world’s best boyfriend.

My girlfriend and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to attend the Art of Mixing event on Friday night.

First of all, the live cooking demonstration is by Michael Voltaggio. After following your various adventures with his cooking, I would love to be able to see him, learn how he creates the amazing looking dishes that he does and sample his cuisine.

Secondly, Mozza, Melisse, Ortolan, VIX, Church and State, Campanile and Wurstkuche are scheduled to make appearances at this particular event. These are all high on the list of restaurants I would like to try, but have not yet had the chance.

Thirdy, I would like more of an education in cocktails and I can't think of a better place to do it.

Fourthly, my girlfriend is starting a new job this week and I'm sure will be extremely stressed by the end of the week. This would give her something to look forward to and would be a great way to help her unwind come Friday night.

Thanks for providing a great resource to the Los Angeles foodie community over the past few years.

Hi Kevin,When I read your blog post I made plans to come down from the Bay Area to LA just to try to get to the Food Fest - I would LOVE to get tickets to the Brunch event to take my best friend. I missed her bachelorette party and also want to help her celebrate the long journey she's taken to convert for her fiance. She's looking for a job so can't afford to buy a ticket and feels awkward taking things from anyone so this would mean so much to her since she's a huge foodie! Thanks for considering me (us!)Annetteannette.blum@gmail.comCheers and happy eating...

I'd love to go to the 'Secrets from the Kitchen and Cellar Event' because it's the only one I can attend! I have very little exposure to Southern cooking as well so seeing Art Smith in action would definitely be awesome.

Thank you for hosting this giveaway! I would definitely want to go to 'Secrets from the Kitchen and Cellar Event' because I'm coming down for the bay area and will only be in town for that day. hope to meet you @ the festival too and if you're free we should go out and eat! my treat :P

Kevin,Thanks so much for your awesome posts over the years. My husband and I have enjoyed reading and being inspired to try the same places as you.We would love tickets to Secrets from the Kitchen and Cellar for the following reasons...1. I LOVE Ted Allen and have been such a great fan since his Queer Eye days. I think his tips in the kitchen and for home entertaining make a whole lot of sense...and easy to execute, too!2. My husband would love to see Art Smith's upscale Southern cooking. His family's from the South, and he would find Art's views on Southern cooking more than interesting...so interesting that he'd want to hop on a plane to Chicago or DC to sample the food first hand.3. We love cooking competitions! We've never gotten to see on live. How awesome would it be to get to see the LG competition hosted by Tim Love.4. We're fans of booze! We have a fully-stocked bar at home, and we love to experiment (my husband's been drinking something called an alien secretion...try it). I'm sure we'd get tons of inspiration from the participants.5. I'm starting to get into wine and I don't think there would be a better place to get more of an education than at this event....and if you're there, maybe we can get sloshed together!6. We both love The Bazaar, so we're super pysched that they're going to be a participating restaurant. My husband's been dying for a double dipped lamb from Philippe's...we live way out east and don't come to L.A. very much. We've been wanting to try Water Grill, Ford's, Mo Chica, Ortolan, Jitlada, Fig, and Rustic Canyon for a while...and they're all here!Please pick us...we've been on a limited budget since my husband lost his job in April and this would be a great opportunity for us to get out and do something nice.Thanks!Annattran99@hotmail.com

I'd love to win tickets for the Art of Mixing event...not just because I am a lush and love tasting out new creative concoctions but ALSO because this night is filled with so many of the hottest LA restaurants that are on my "bucket list" but that I have still yet to try. Melisse, Crustacean and Campanile especially! I was originally supposed to be a bridesmaid over Labor Day weekend but the Bridezilla attacked and I was given the boot so I would LOVE to kick off my booze-filled, drowning my sorrows weekend with this awesome event.

A couple years ago when I was living in NY I went with my wife to the Taste of NY. We had a great night. I convinced her to move out here earlier this year and we constantly argue about which city has better food. The Taste of Beverly Hills would be the perfect way to show her some of the best that LA has to offer all in one night. While I would usually jump at the chance to go to an event like this the price makes it difficult for someone like me who hasn’t been gainfully employed since 2008. I was born and raised in LA, spent a few years in NY with my wife and finally got her to move to LA. I don’t want to get dragged back to NY because I am too broke too treat her to a good meal. Tickets to the Celebration event on Thursday night could be the key to my longevity in this great city.

I'd love to take my Mother out to the Secrets from the Kitchen and Cellar event as her birthday is coming up. As strange as this may sound, a lot of the "bonding time" I spend with Mom is watching food competitions, like Ted Allen's Chopped or Iron Chef. The rest of our tastebud-challenged family snickers at us as we ride an emotional rollercoaster during the judging periods, shouting the occasional vile oath when we feel someone undeserving takes the 1st. We might even be classified as "Foodie Hooligans". This would definitely make it a bday to remember for her.

Foodie fests aside, love the website and am eternally jealous of your multiple visits to the House of Hiro-san over there off of Rodeo. I believe it was your 2nd review that inspired me to take the plunge and though I'm still paying off the 2nd mortgage I had to take out to fund it, I'll remember the taste of that uni chawanmushi forever. Thanks allowing me to live vicariously through your reviews.

Reasons: day drinking, summer is finally in LA, and my undying love for food! (but any event would've satified this soon to be birthday girl!)

It started almost 7 years ago on my 21st birthday, when I was able to pair wine with my food. I was amazed at how much my meal complemented the wine and vice versa. Who knew that food is art and science -- and so much more!?

Well September 8th is my birthday and I've been eyeing this event for the past few months. After a little debate, I decided that I really cannot afford to splurge this time. I thought it was time to let go. But after seeing your post, I knew I had to enter to give it one last try! A little hope! And it could end up being the best birthday surprise ever!